The Long Night
by luthien.kelsick
Summary: It's been a long night on the move for these war beaten veteran Walker Slayers. But when they hear a distress signal from a town in the distance they are more than ready to rise to the challenge.
1. Chapter 1

_Who can say why the wind blows so damn hard on nights like these?_ It was another cold one as they made their way through the seemingly endless woods.

The snow had heaped itself up in nice big piles against the shadows of the trees and occasionally a flurry would blow through the branches and catch some

one off guard, causing them to stop and mutter angrily to themselves as they brushed at their faces. Corey was leading them at this point. He had a bitter and

determined air about him as he stomped through the deep snow. They had gone days without food by this night, and weeks without rest or respite. On that

note it had been years since they had experienced any real comfort of any sort but that was another story. When Corey was fatigued as they all were, he

seemed to fight it with his whole body and it showed in the angry thrusts of his arms and legs against the driving snow, his posture stiffly erect and hotile. It

was nearly up to their knees now and there was no sign of it stopping or the snow letting up. How were they going to make it out of these woods before

daylight? Noreesh did not want to think about that. He didn't want to think about the Goonies as they called them. Even worse than the walking dead they

were. They were human and very much alive and unlike their goulish counterparts these people prefered the day. Unlike the dead they were very much

breathing but they had as much of a thirst for human blood and much more relish for it.

They were also more dangerous. Hunters of the daylight instead of the night. As his mind turned restlessly he

fingered the cold, comforting form of the hilt of his simatar through the leather of his glove. Whatever happened he thought grimly, looking up at the glint of a

star through the darkness of the trees, he would know he died with his heart at peace. He would die as he came into this world, a human. And he would be

damned if he didn't send anyone who tried to say otherwise to hell in a handbasket. He knew it was more than many could say and it gave him strength as

they pushed onward. An hour or more passed before Corey's dark figure up ahead came to a stiff halt, right arm raised. A hush fell over all as they came to

slow, soundless stop...the wind whispered and the snow seemed to fall carefully as if in silent warning. Then they heard it. A call. It was dim and indistinct but

unmistakeable in the deep quiet of the night. It started low and rose in a howling wail seeming to shiver on the air and creating a deep vast distance between

them. They all knew the sound instantly as if their bones had picked up the vibration and they had heard it and knew it before their ears were made aware. It

was the howl of a fire station klaxon and it meant only one thing. Walkers had been sighted in the town ahead of them. Someone had spotted them and raised

the alarm. Noreesh felt his heart begin to pound, his blood was racing through his body already, as if relishing the anticipation the sound brought. The

weakness that had been plaguing his limbs was forgotten in an instant and he felt anger and an evil glee fill his heart and flood him with strength. It was about

fucking time. He had never been readier in his life to feel his sword piercing the heavy bulk of a walkers body. To hear the snap and the subsequent thud as

the body of a decapitated walker hit the cold hard ground. He thought the ground itself would be glad to feel the lifeless corpse grow still and stiff for the last

time. He realized he was smiling as Corey turned to them all and he saw his own reflection in Corey's grin. It was cold and hard, like a sharks. They had all

been waiting for this for, my god, had it been weeks? It couldn't have been less. No words were spoken as they all stood for a moment hearing the klaxon

begin to die off again. It rippled away at last into silence. Corey began to signal them their movements. They were about to go into battle and they were far yet

from wherever death was about to come down in waves but they were now hunters, bloodlust was thundering in their veins and their eyes were as full of

death and hunger as the walkers they would take. So they would not speak again until it was over and this was understood among them all. Even eye contact

was questionable. Not that eye contact was very feasible in any case given they were all wearing night vision goggles over their eyes and they looked a bit like

a small group of dark shapes with glowing eyes. " You know, I could really use some fucking guns right now" A voice growled. It was Gantric. They all turned

and looked at him impatiently for a second. He was leaning against the closest tree, it looked like a pine in the shifting snow gusts, and he looked ill worn. He

had been favoring his right leg for the past few days after twisting his ankle at a creek bed crossing. At least that was Noreesh's guess. Gantric was quiet and

furtive, he would keep something like that to himself. But even he could not hide the way he grimaced when his full weight was on his right leg, and how often

it was not. Or how when they stopped for a short break he was the last to get up, holding himself carefully as he slowly walked after them. It made noreesh's

heart heavy to think the older man, war worn and tough as his hide was, may be about to meet his end at last. But it also affirmed what he felt he knew best

and most of all. Because weren't they all in for it in the long haul anyway? Noreesh had left his despair behind years ago when his closest family and friends

had been torn away in that first wave of horror that wiped out 80 percent of the worlds population. They were all in it to die, all that mattered was how you

died. Like a human being with your soul still your own, or like a walker, a mindless fiend roaming the earth endlessly in search of blood and flesh and death.

And never satisfied. Noreesh had long ago decided he would shoot himself if he ever got the short stick in a situation and he made sure to surround himself

with people who understood this and would do the same. When survival was on the line, and these days when was it not, things like what kind of person you

were, what kind of character you built for yourself, these things mattered as much as the mettle of the weapon you strapped to yourself. So Noreesh gave

Gantric a slight nod as if to reassure. To say, i'm here friend and if your end comes i'll see to it you're end comes right. If Gantric saw his motion he didn't give

any sign. He seemed to sigh and his head fell slightly. They turned back to Corey and he stood before them now with an air of confidence and almost relief. His

motions were loose and emphatic as he made a cutting motion towards the group with his left hand, then signaled their left side to move eastward and

Noreesh's side to move west. Noreesh took a slow deep breath, stole himself, nodded curtly and began to trot silently through the haze of the snow and the

night. He did not stop to see where his comrades were headed, they would flank him out further to the west, he knew. The trees closed around him and he

was alone. He didn't feel afraid he felt at home. This was as it should be, a hunter hunted best when there was nothing to interfere and he wouldn't see

anyone from his group again until they had found their walkers.


	2. Chapter 2

The tree branch beneath him was hard and unforgiving and as he repositioned himself once again, noreesh admitted to himself with an inward sigh his body, particularly the lower half, would be sore for probably days yet. As if it mattered he thought with a smile. What was about to happen in the next 24 hours would make any physical discomfort sound..well, comforting. Dawn had finally come to the highlands and the snow had died down to a gentle falling of snowflakes. Noreesh pulled out his simitar for the thousandth time and drew a gloved thumb along the beloved curve. Yes they were ready, ready for battle. Five hours had passed since he left his group back in the woods and he had been perched in a large pine on the outskirts of the village for two hours now. He didn't like to be sitting doing nothing for so long, but he had to await the arrival of his friends. As much as he wanted to kill some walkers even the most inexperienced slayers knew you never went into an unknown battle without knowing the number you faced, alone. He flicked at his glimmering blade impatiently. Two hours? Had it really been that long? His biological clock had never been off and even without a watch to tell the time he could sense from the movement of the sun and the shadows and the slowing of the blood in his veins that at least two hours had passed. He knew he was more fit than most but could they really be two hours behind? Or had something happened? He couldn't think what...they were an experienced group of hunters, nearly a year had passed that he had been in their company and aside from a couple wounds and scars here and there, no one was much the worse for wear. He couldn't wait any longer though. Switching the menacing blade to his right hand he tossed it down and it stuck 15 feet below in the somber snow. He turned his body and slid off the branch until his hands gripped it then let go. The fall was quick and soundless and he landed in a crouch, blade already in hand. He was going to scout out the perimeter. If friends arrived, they would see the signs of his passage and would give the secret call. A high pitched whistle beyond the undead's range of hearing. Sheathing his blade he kept low and fast to the shadows of the trees. Skirting the village he made his way up to the height of a ridge and crouched behind a growth of bushes and a large rock. From here he could see the layout of the village and it was a sorry sight. To the east were a large collection of what looked like military establishments. Long low buildings with armored vehicles parked outside. To the west were the residential areas and they were all in smolders. Smoke rose from what look like the farming area. From the look of the wreckage the walkers had smelled the cattle and started there, making their way eastward. He couldn't make out any shapes from this distance but he could see that whatever resistence had been fortified, it had failed. Walkers would be rampant within the village, feasting on the corpses...children would be among them. Noreesh flinched inwardly. Once he had thought of having a child. Now the idea was like a grey cloud of disgust, regret...anger. The days for such thoughts of home and family were long gone. Now all that remained was death and revenge...endless revenge in every violent and bloody death experienced as he ripped apart the body of a walker. Noreesh took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling the calming influence of the oxygen on his body and brain. He relaxed. You weren't ready until every ounce of you was calmed and relaxed, prepared for the moment. The morning light on your skin, the cold snow at your feet, the sword in your hand...That was when a high, clean whistle drifted through the air from down hill, barely registering on Noreesh's ears but plenty lound enough for his heightened senses. Finally! His heart began to beat faster. It was almost time. He cupped his hands to his mouth and let out a high, piercing return call. Now all that was left to do was wait for Corey and the rest.

They sat in a circle on the outcrop Noreesh had scouted out. Below them lay the village, warming in the morning light. The snow had stopped and the air was fresh, clear and cold. Around him were the faces of his friends, his reliants, his brothers and sister. At their feet lay their weapons. Extensions of themselves and as beloved as their own hands and feet. Noreesh had his simitar, it lay unsheathed beside it's sheath, glimmering piercingly in the sunlight. To his left was Gatric. He sad awkwardly, unable to place weight on his right ankle and though the guns he wished for were sadly absent he had his sledgehammer. The thing was a curse. It weighed heavily on whoever carried it and you would feel the punishment on your muscles soon after taking it up but it was a curse to the walkers too. All it took was one heafty swing aimed accurately at the head and the walker would be mush. It brought a smile to the lips. Next to Gatric was Balley, he carried to pick axes. No one's weapons of choice if they had many choices but he was nimble handed and could take down a group of walkers in less than a minute as he dealt two handed death to their slow moving bodies. Next to him was Corey. He sat resolute and still. He was always clothed in many layers of black and his hands were folded in his lap. His eyes were heavy lidded and he seemed to be staring at nothing but Noreesh knew he was watching all of them. Waiting for signs. Signs of weakness, uncertainty, fear..unreadiness. He carried no weapons. He was a man of the moment and used whatever means he had at his disposal to eliminate walkers. He was always in control and someone in control of their situation didn't need to be prepared. Privately Noreesh knew this disrespect for possibility and this over confidence would be the end of him someday but he respected Corey deeply and he figured he knew this too. He just didn't care. So be it then. Between Corey and Noreesh, and completing the circle was Kaliana. She was small and thin and didn't look threatening in the slightest. But looks were decieving and part of her guise, part of her secret weapon. She carried a large bow, almost as big as herself and a large rack of arrows on her back. Her bow lay before her and she held if with both hands. Looking down and inward. Not moving. They always took this time with eachother and with their weapons, taken in silence, on the eve of battle. It was calming and centering, it allowed them to focus wholly and wholeheartedly on the task at hand to to complete it with all their faculties in place. At last everyone began to move again. Noreesh grasped his simitar and slowly sheathed it. Gatric slowly stood, grimacing as he did so. Corey remained seated but looked up at them. Balley was up and hefting his axes, swinging them at imaginary foes. Warming up. Kaliana also rose and walked away from the group to look down on the town. Noreesh also rose and helped Corey to his feet. Normally this action would be out of the question but right now it was fine. " Alright," They all turned to Corey. " You know I'm best experienced at taking a town of walkers," He kept it simple. " So listen to what I say and don't question it. Questioning will put the entire group at risk." He looked pointedly at Balley who frowned and looked away. He fidgeted nervously. Noreesh felt a small forboding in his stomach but ignored it. There was too much going on. " Noreesh, take Kaliana and head straight in. It's your lucky day and you two get to be the distraction," Noreesh looked at Kaliana and she winked at him. He almost smiled. " It's about time," He grunted. Corey's mouth twitched. He looked at Balley and Gatric. " You two are coming with me. We fan out behind the bait and lock the doors when they get them inside. Then we extract them and burn it down like usual. There can' t be many walkers, I already scouted it out and counted no more than 100 or so." Noreesh scowled. Of course. That was why they had been so late. He resisted shaking his head. Of course Corey thought it was his prerogative to keep him waiting. He shrugged inwardly. Maybe it was for the best? Corey did know what he was doing. " Are we clear?" They all nodded. Balley was staring at the snow as he did so. " Alright then," Corey slapped Noreesh on the shoulders. " You know the drill, right?" Noreesh nodded. Go into the center of the village, make a racket, draw the walkers into an enclosed area, and then stay alive until the place was secure. Wait for extraction then burn all the walkers to hell. He just hoped he got a chance at some one on one action. Of course he had the best opportunity, he and Kaliana. They could kill as many as they wanted before they were extracted. No wonder Corey had chosen them he thought happily. Now the rest had to stand back and watch them in action. He punched Kaliana lightly on the shoulder. " You ready kid?" She gave him a look, like: " Oh pleeease.." " Good! Lets go," They headed off down the hill, walking amiably as if it were a normal day in a normal world and they were going for a morning stroll together.


End file.
